WAR EAGLE! I am about to boast about one of the greatest coffee dives in the southern United States. Upon entering the foyer of this historic landmark, the floor wooden planks shake a little bit with the rustling of autumn leaves, and you smell a nice library scent that reminds you of the days you never read your text book in Microeconomics until the night before the final exam (procrastinating a little bit as an undergraduate student should). There is something nostalgic about the smell of knowledge in the used books that surround the walls of this enclosed hidden nook. With the assistance of owner and general manager Tina Tatum, you will meet southern hospitality at its finest. This is really where my ambitions to be a writer, photographer, and speaker began. Tina humbly sat down to educate me on her vast knowledge of the literature world. She spent several years working for different publishing companies and demonstrates a keen understanding of how the industry operates, now affected and plagued by e-readers and torrents where books can easily be downloaded for free, maybe someday bringing out physical books to extinction. The Gnus Room reminds us of what is pure about the written word in the highlighted and ink splotched pages of a good book where notes are made and favorite quotes resonate with us, those reads that keep on speaking to us like a modern day version of To Kill A Mockingbird.
The Gnus Room hosts a plethora of different events, including but not limited to book signings, readings, social gatherings, musical performances (classical and acoustic) ….. probably more up-and-coming artists than the national famous ones, but occasionally Chad Gibbs, author of God and Football, or Karen Zacharias, who has written more books than I can count, will show up and simply remind us of our humble southern roots. If you have never been to the Gnu’s Room, it is a true treasure where every cup is made fresh and every bean is roasted artistically to quench the taste buds of any coffee enthusiast. Whether you live in Auburn or are just passing through, you do not want to miss a small landmark that stands in the stillness of Samford Tower’s shadow. You will fall in love with a place that feels like home if you were that nerd that lived in the library like me and perhaps on some free Saturday afternoons still does.
Please attend my signing not just to hear some poetry and buy my book (as much as I would love that) but to contribute to the local culture of Auburn. Nowhere will you find a more authentic cup of coffee, possibly stronger than what you are used to because the French Press savors the taste of every bean and every grind. Nowhere will you experience such kind people who do not just serve coffee. They listen to students complain about how much school stinks (or having to work and study for school stinks), how a professor grades unfairly, or perhaps even how the latest crush has broken a heart. These individuals, including Mama Mocha, do not waste their breath striving to be famous or rich. They own a coffee shop to serve students and show that they care about people. It is like Cheers in the truest sense, just not a bar. Instead of helping people sleep in the sulkiness of a drunken stupor, they assist to help us stay awake to finish an entire book the night before an exam to make an A in that Microeconomics class. And yes, when I was in undergrad, I did in fact accomplish such a feat with the aid of some nice brewed coffee. Now join me for another event to celebrate a small accomplishment in my venture to one day become a nationally-recognized author. The Gnus Room supported me when I was a nobody. I will certainly support them when I am a somebody.
The information for the signing is as follows:
James Cartee Live and In – Person
Presenting Twenty-Three: In the Beginning.
Friday, October 28 from 7:00 pm to 9:15 pm
@ The Gnus Room
414 South Gay Street
Auburn, AL 36830
(334) 821-5550
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